GumGum, a new way to license digital media, launched a couple of days ago:

Offline, content is licensed for a finite period of time to a predictable audience. Online, content lives forever and usage is unknown. This raises the question: How do you fairly monetize a license when circulation is unpredictable? GumGum distributes, tracks and monetizes every view a piece of content receives online. (gumgum.com)

GumGum’s licensing model makes money with CPM or ad revenue. It works like this:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Znx_VWFrHi0]

Licensing is only available for images right now, but they have plans up their sleeve for audio, video, and text. Read a more in-depth analysis on TechCrunch here.

Rejected pun-laden post title: “Will GumGum stick?”

(via fluidesign_blog)

“Polaroid is getting out of the Polaroid business,” the New York Times said last Friday.

Because pixels are kicking organic’s tail (leading to a Polaroid Chapter 11 in 2001), Polaroid is going to focus on digital cameras and printers as soon as they’ve manufactured enough instant film to last until 2009.

This breaks my heart a little. Digital cameras with their bottomless supply of potential shots and immediate visual gratification are cool, sure, but there’s something to be said for immediately holding something in your hands.

Thankfully, the oldschool and tactile among us aren’t completely without hope:

Loyal users take heart, though — Polaroid said it would happily license the technology to other manufacturers should they want to go on supplying the niche market with film after 2009. (nytimes.com)

I hope somebody picks up this ball, otherwise 2009 will be the end of instant vintage and this, this, this, and this: